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Posted on: March 7, 2019

County and Oak Grove Elementary Celebrate GOCO Award

County and Oak Grove Elementary Celebrate GOCO Award

Montrose, COLO.— Montrose County and Oak Grove Elementary officials were keeping a close eye on Twitter yesterday afternoon in anticipation of big news. At 2:38pm, Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) made the official announcement that the Board of Great Outdoors Colorado approved a $110,000 grant to replace the aging playground at Oak Grove Elementary.

The county and Oak Grove Elementary partnered in 2017 to submit an application to GOCO to create a new, universally accessible play area and outdoor learning space. The new playground structure will help to welcome children of all abilities. The county served as a pass-through agent for the grant. Deputy County Manager Jon Waschbusch worked with Oak Grove Elementary Principal Dana Carpenter and her staff to submit the application for consideration of School Yard Initiative grant dollars.

“Oak Grove Elementary is a special place,” said Waschbusch. “Montrose County is grateful that Great Outdoors Colorado is investing in the school through award of our grant application. The credit for the success of this application belongs to the staff, students, and parents of the Oak Grove community that put in the work to make this project happen.”

“We are thrilled to receive the GOCO grant for our playground! The application was a whole school and community effort, with students, teachers, families and community members all contributing to the application,” said Carpenter. “Our kids have been focused on this project for two years, and it is wonderful to see their hard work recognized!”

The new structure will provide enjoyment and enrich the learning environment at Oak Grove Elementary for decades to come.

Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and enhance the state’s parks, trails, wildlife, rivers, and open spaces. GOCO’s independent board awards competitive grants to local governments and land trusts, and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Created when voters approved a Constitutional Amendment in 1992, GOCO has since funded more than 5,200 projects in urban and rural areas in all 64 counties without any tax dollar support. Visit GOCO.org for more information.